Earrings that go together like cabbages at snack time.
Actual-size charts, gauge conversions, piercing guides and the stories behind the world’s most-searched earrings, for ears that don’t have to match.
The questions everyone asks
Our most-visited guides: the sizes, gauges and piercings people look up before they buy or book.
What to Do When an Earring Piercing Is Infected (and When to See a Doctor)
What to do when an earring piercing is infected, step by step. How to tell irritation from infection, the saline routine that works, what not to put on it, whether to remove the earring, and the signs that mean a doctor today.
Read the guideEarring Piercing Guide: Every Ear Placement, With Healing Times
An earring piercing guide to every ear placement, from lobe to daith, with healing times, pain levels, starter jewelry sizes and what to expect from aftercare.
Read the guide5mm Earrings Actual Size (Plus 2mm to 10mm Compared)
5mm earrings actual size explained: a stud chart from 2mm to 10mm with inches, everyday comparisons and how to measure…
Read the guideWhat Gauge Are Regular Earrings?
What gauge are regular earrings? Most lobe earrings are 20g or 18g. See a gauge-to-mm table, how gauge numbers work and…
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Triple Forward Helix Piercing: The Complete Guide to Placement, Pain and Jewelry
Thinking about a triple forward helix piercing? Learn placement, pain, the 6–12 month healing timeline, the best…
Read the guideWhy Do My Earrings Smell? The Honest Answer
Why do my earrings smell? Blame sebum, dead skin and bacteria in the piercing. Learn a simple cleaning routine and the…
Read the guideJason Aldean Earrings: The Low-Key Country Look, Decoded
Jason Aldean earrings explained: how many he usually wears, the small hoop-and-stud style behind his look, and how to…
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8mm Earrings Actual Size: What an 8mm Stud Looks Like
8mm earrings actual size, compared with 6, 7, 9 and 10mm studs. See approximate diamond carat equivalents and how an…
Read the guideHow big is 5mm, really?
Product photos are zoomed in, and “5mm” means nothing until it is on your ear. Slide to any stud size and see it next to a US penny. Calibrate it with a bank card in the full Size Tool and it becomes true actual size on your screen.
The copper coin is a US penny (19.05 mm) for scale.
Want it calibrated to your screen? Open the full Earring Size Tool.
Find your rabbit hole
Five collections, one obsession. Pick a door.
11 guidesEarring Guides
Actual-size charts, gauges, backs and the everyday questions nobody else answers properly.
8 guidesEar Piercings
Helix, rook, tragus, double lobes and more: placement, healing and the jewelry that fits.
9 guidesCelebrity Earrings
The famous earrings people still search for, and how to get the look without the price tag.
5 guidesPop Culture Earrings
Anime, games and fandom jewelry, from Potara fusions to Luna Lovegood's radishes.
9 guidesEarring Styles & Brands
Designer names, decade trends, jhumkas and a straight-talking guide to earrings for guys.
Why “like cabbages at snack time”?
“Come i cavoli a merenda.”Italian saying, literally “like cabbages at an afternoon snack”: said of things that don’t belong together.
Italians say it about anything that seems out of place. We borrowed it because the best ears break that rule: a pearl next to a spike, a gold hoop with a silver huggie, three different studs climbing a helix.
This site is our love letter to that kind of mismatch, backed by the boring-but-important details: sizes, gauges, metals and aftercare.
Icons, characters & traditions
From Janet Jackson’s key to Dragon Ball’s Potara fusion earrings: the backstory, and how to get the look.
The Janet Jackson Key Earring: How to Recreate a Pop Icon
The Janet Jackson key earring — a hoop with a dangling key from the Rhythm Nation era — is a pop icon. The story, the…
Read the guideThe Harry Styles Earring: Why One Pearl Made Headlines
The Harry Styles earring moment — a single pearl drop at the 2019 Met Gala — helped make pearls genderless. Here's the…
Read the guidePotara Earrings: The Dragon Ball Fusion Earrings Explained
Potara earrings explained: how Dragon Ball's fusion earrings work, which ear each fighter wears, and how to find…
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Jhumka Earrings: A Guide to the Classic Bell-Shaped Earring
Jhumka earrings guide: bell-shaped Indian earrings in gold, oxidized silver, kundan and temple styles, when to wear…
Read the guideGood to know
Short answers to the things readers ask us most.
What is Come i Cavoli a Merenda?
An independent guide to earrings and ear piercings: actual-size charts, gauge conversions, piercing placement guides and the stories behind famous earrings.
What does “come i cavoli a merenda” mean?
It is an Italian saying, literally “like cabbages at snack time.” Italians use it for two things that don’t go together. We think mismatched earrings go together beautifully.
How big is a 5mm earring?
A 5mm stud is about 0.2 inches across, a little smaller than a pencil eraser. It reads as a noticeable but still everyday stud.
What gauge are regular earrings?
Most standard lobe earrings are 20 gauge (0.8mm) or 18 gauge (1.0mm). Cartilage jewelry is usually 16 gauge (1.2mm).
Got an earring question we haven’t answered?
Tell us what you’re trying to figure out: a size, a piercing, an earring you saw once and can’t stop thinking about. The best questions become guides.